Desserts · Plate III

Cinnamon

Cinnamomum verum

An evergreen tree from Sri Lanka, in the laurel family. Its opposite, glossy, rather stiff leaves have three strong veins that start at the base and run almost to the tip; new leaves come out reddish. Its small, greenish-yellow flowers grow in panicles.

In cultivation it is kept as a low bush that sends up new shoots. Their inner bark is peeled off and, as it dries, it curls into quills of thin layers: cinnamon sticks. Its scent is warm, sweet and spicy.

Its name reached English through Latin and Greek from a Semitic word; the Greeks said they had learned it from Phoenician traders. Its second name, verum, “true”, sets it apart from close relatives such as cassia, whose bark is also sold as cinnamon.

Downloads

• To printA4 · PNG
• Phone wallpaperJPG
• Desktop wallpaper4K · JPG

Free, for personal use.